From German patent DE 34 21 843 C3 there is already known a winch with a cable drum, having a cable guide for a cable which can be wound on the drum. The cable drum has a right or left-handed groove for the cable. In order to securely lead the cable into the cable grooves during the winding and paying out, and hold it there when the cable is slack, the cable guide performs a guiding function and a holding down function in relation to the cable. The cable guide is basically configured as a ring, which is guided on the cable grooves and thus in the lengthwise direction of the cable drum. The ring is divided roughly in half, into two segments, of which the first is designated the guide segment and the second the hold-down segment. Both segments are provided with a threaded profile at their inner circumferential surface, matching the profile of the cable groove, including its pitch. The divided ring is placed on the cable drum; the threaded profile can then engage in the cable groove and the ends of the segments are joined together by a screw connection. So that the ring does not turn with the cable drum, but instead migrates along the cable drum in its lengthwise direction when the cable is being wound up or paid out, the ring thrusts by means of a torque support in the form of a short arm against a profile of the winch, which runs parallel to the lengthwise direction of the cable drum at a distance from the cable grooves of the drum.
This design has worked well in many applications. The guide segment and the hold-down segment are each suited to different tasks and therefore differ in construction. This increases the diversity of parts for the cable guide. Furthermore, the segments of the cable guide are made of plastic. Accordingly, a special injection molding die is required for the guide segment and the hold-down segment. As the diameter of the cable drum becomes larger, the segments also grow in size, as do the tooling costs.
Based on this prior art, the problem identified is creating a cable guide of a cable winch, such as a cable hoisting winch, which has a simplified and modular construction.